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Throckmorton Airfield

Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish the risk assessment made prior to the establishment of a mass burial site at Throckmorton airfield in Worcestershire; and what amendments have since been made to that assessment. [2002]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 4 July 2001]: The Environment Agency conducted a preliminary desktop study of Throckmorton airfield in order to assess its suitability as a burial site for animal carcases. The study included a risk assessment of the geological, hydrogeological and hydrological conditions at the airfield. This assessment was followed up by a full quantitative risk assessment by the agency using site-specific data gained from the site construction phase. The site was shown to be acceptable using the approved methodology.

The contractors, Halcrows, are currently doing additional site investigation and monitoring, and they will further update the risk assessment following this work. Both the qualitative desktop study and quantitative risk assessment are held on the public register at the district Environment Agency office in Riversmeet, Tewkesbury, together with a note referring to the additional work.

Hall Burn

David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what is the purpose of the building being erected at the Hall Burn site at Longtown, Cumbria. [2754]

Mr. Morley: No permanent buildings are being erected at the Hall Burn site although a number of temporary modular buildings (i.e. portacabins) were erected on the site before May. These are used for office accommodation, crew rooms, toilets, and showers.

Green Ministers

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to monitor (a) the role of Green Ministers and (b) integration of the environment and sustainable development; and if she will make a statement. [4003]

Mr. Meacher: As chair of the Cabinet Sub-Committee of Green Ministers, I will monitor the role of Green Ministers and integration of the environment and sustainable development. The Committee will report to ENV as necessary. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is a member of ENV.

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs where responsibility lies for co-ordination of the role of Green Ministers; and if she will make a statement. [4002]

Mr. Meacher: As a Cabinet Sub-Committee the terms of reference for ENV(G) are set by the Prime Minister and it is for me to co-ordinate the role including a work programme.

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Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what date a Green Minister was first appointed in her Department; when subsequent appointments were made; and if she will make a statement. [3974]

Mr. Meacher: I have been asked to answer this question on behalf of the Government. The Green Ministers Committee has undergone three phases since its inception. A Green Minister in every Government Department was first appointed following the 'This Common Inheritance' White Paper in 1990.

Following the recent establishment of the Green Ministers Committee as a Cabinet Sub-Committee, ENV(G), its membership is as follows:

Minister of State (Environment), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Chair)


Solicitor-General


Financial Secretary, Treasury


Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs


Minister of State (Rural Affairs), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs


Minister of State, Scotland Office


Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry


Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport


Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office


Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office


Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for International Development


Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions


Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions


Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health


Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Northern Ireland Office


Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Wales Office


Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence


Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills.

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will set out the terms of reference for the role of the Green Minister in (a) her own Department and (b) in other Departments; and if she will make a statement. [3985]

Mr. Meacher: In this Parliament the Green Ministers Committee has been reconstituted as the Cabinet Sub- Committee of Green Ministers, ENV(G). It is for the Prime Minister to set the terms of reference for Cabinet Committees. ENV(G)'s terms of reference are:

"to consider the impact on sustainable development of government policies; to improve the performance of Departments in contributing to sustainable development; and to report as necessary to ENV Committee".

WORK AND PENSIONS

Invalid Care Allowance

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer, net

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of savings on means-tested benefits, of increasing the rate of Invalid Care Allowance to the level of the basic State Pension. [1460]

Maria Eagle: The estimated additional cost of this change would be £650 million in 2001–02 (cost net of savings on Income Support, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit would be £340 million). However, this change would only benefit carers not in receipt of Income Support (IS) or where the increase is greater than the current value of their IS. 230,000 people would see an increase in their net income.

In April 2001 the Carer Premium paid through Income Related Benefits was increased by an extra £10 per week and the Invalid Care Allowance (ICA) Earnings Limit was increased by £22 per week. We intend to legislate to extend ICA to people aged 65 or over and to enable ICA to continue for up to eight weeks after the death of the person being cared for. These changes will help an estimated 300,000 carers at a cost of more than £500 million over three years.

Notes:

1. Estimate is rounded to the nearest £10 million

2. The gross ICA cost is based on the forecast ICA caseload for 2001–02.

3. The income-related benefit offsets have been calculated from data taken from the November 2000 5 per cent. scan of the Income Support computer system, and the May 1999 1 per cent. sample of HB/CTB claims. These offsets have been applied to the 2001–02 ICA forecast to obtain the savings in the income-related benefits.

4. The estimate assumes that the basic rate of ICA will be increased to the level of the category A Retirement Pension, and that there would be no changes made to the dependency increases in ICA.

5. The costing allows for the £5 increase in Retirement Pension in 2001–02.

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Winter Fuel Payment

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the last Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2000 was paid. [2265]

Mr. McCartney: This is a matter for Alexis Cleveland, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. She will write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Alexis Cleveland to Mr. David Willetts, dated 11 July 2001:

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking when the last winter fuel payment for Winter 2000 was paid.

Our records show that the vast majority of Winter 2000 payments were paid automatically before Christmas 2000. However, to allow for payments to be made to customers claiming up to 31 March 2001, the last main tranche of payments for Winter 2000 was processed between 15 and 23 June. These customers should have received their payment within two weeks of processing.

Winter fuel payments for Winter 2000 continue to be processed for late claims, appeals and cases with other outstanding issues. Payments will be ongoing until these claims are cleared.

BASIS

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff the Benefits Agency Security Investigations Service has employed in each area for each of the past 12 months; what is the full complement of staff at each BASIS office; how many of these posts are vacant; and how many staff at each area office have been with BASIS for 12 months or more. [2260]

Malcolm Wicks: The information is in the tables.

The Counter Fraud Investigation Branch is committed to bringing staffing up to full strength in the next quarter and is currently recruiting.

BASIS staff employed in each area for the past 12 months

	2000								2001
Teams	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December	January	February	March	April	May
Hinchley Wood	60	60	58	58	58	55	55	53	52	53	53	53	56
Canons Park	44	45	46	47	47	49	48	48	50	50	50	46	45
Birmingham	19	21	20	19	20	20	19	19	22	19	20	20	20
Nottingham	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	18	18	18	18	18
Leeds	19	19	19	18	18	20	20	21	21	21	21	21	22
Manchester	18	18	18	17	21	19	19	20	20	20	20	21	21
Cardiff	15	15	16	15	15	15	16	17	17	18	17	15	15
Liverpool	17	17	18	18	18	18	19	19	20	20	20	20	20
Newcastle	17	17	17	19	19	19	19	19	19	21	21	22	21
Glasgow	21	21	18	18	18	21	19	19	19	19	19	18	18
Total	247	250	247	246	251	253	251	252	258	259	259	254	256

Complement of BASIS staff at each office and vacant posts

BASIS teams	Complement of staff	Vacancies declared
Hinchley Wood	69	13
Canons Park	69	24
Birmingham	21	1
Nottingham	21	3
Leeds	21	0
Manchester	21	0
Cardiff	21	6
Liverpool	21	1
Newcastle	21	0
Glasgow	21	3

Number of staff employed within BASIS for 12 months or more

BASIS teams	Number of staff
Hinchley Wood	42
Canons Park	34
Birmingham	14
Nottingham	18
Leeds	18
Manchester	14
Cardiff	12
Liverpool	14
Newcastle	12
Glasgow	14

Notes:

1. These figures include both administrative and investigative staff employed by BASIS.

2. Figures above as of May 2001.

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